The Words of the Cadano Family
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The Words of the Cadano Family |
Nagano- It was forecasted as cloudy-rainy day last Sunday, June 8 but was the opposite. The day was bright, sunny and full of messages when Nagano Blessed Community travel from early 5 o clock in the morning to reach Niigata at 10 o' clock. It was a long travel and more on the part of the 8-month pregnant Filipina sister Lennie Dacanay-Hiramatsu from Matsumoto City, Central part of Nagano ken who started traveling evening of Saturday.
Mrs. Manuela "Ella" Ventura- Uchiyama coordinated with Mrs. Ethel Hayakawa in Niigata City to organize the affair. Yet the idea to have the family fellowship sprout out from a seafood "pasalubong" during the visit of Dae Mo Nim in Nagano recently. That instead of a "pasalubong" a suggestion of why not visit Niigata City and enjoy the seafoods there as Sis. Ethel said Niigata is ready to welcome Nagano Fil-Jap Community.
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald and Yoko delos Santos, area sub-leader of Commando in Nagano ken, who brought their 2 children, prepared copies of FFWPUI Pres. Hyung Jin Moon's speeches; Mrs. Ella Uchiyama invited Fil-Jap families and coordinated the members. Along with them from Nagano blessed families who joined were Mrs. Edna Pang-oden-Yamaguchi from Nakano City with her 2 of the 4 blessed children; Mrs. Lenie Hiramatsu from Matsumoto City, and I with one of my five children. The number was limited due to limit of the cars used. With the desire of having a bigger Blessed Community Fellowship, the activity was set fitting the availability of the many blessed families invited and involved.
After a long 5-hour travel, we were met by Sis. Ethel at a train station and has to proceed to her apartment for a while before we finally proceed to the venue, the house of Sis. Rosell who has a bigger space to accommodate all of us from Nagano and Niigata as well. And it was Sunday of June 8 after arriving at Sis. Rosela Derilo-Saito with Sis Ethel as our guide where we gathered and have the first Nagano-Niigata Hoon Dok Hae and Family Fellowship. Niigata members prepared even a welcoming banner for Nagano visitors enough for them to feel the warm welcome and ease the stress from the long travel. After a little introduction and knowing each other, the HDH started with the greetings, bow and prayers. Mr and Mrs Ronie delos Santos led the HDH and asked Allan Cadano and Ethey Hayakawa to read the first speech shared by Pres. Hyung Jin Moon Thanks to the Two Rivers website.
After the reading everyone was so eager to share his/her rich experiences based on the speeches particularly on how one has to changed a lifestyle to overcome the many struggles between international couples and keeping one's responsibility. Sister Edna shared her growing as a working-mother as her husband is a full time church leader in Hokkaido. Sister Lennie also shared her young experiences in family hood and adjustments in life after arriving in Japan from La Union, Philippines.
Sis Ethel also enriched the sharing on her pioneering experiences in Niigata as the first Fil-Jap in the place. Her guidance to Maricon and Roselle helped them to build a good unity and cooperation as wives and mothers which now can be seen on the way their husbands and children relate among each other. They have started doing home church too as Ethel reported. Sister Roselle a bikolana rich of much love and growing to share as a fulltime mother with a fulltime church-missionary-husband; and Sis Maricon shared too their wonderful experiences as a family in Niigata. Her silent husband is also a church full-timer. As clincher of the HDH Sis Ella from Nagano introduced FJMWP and brought out some t-shirts and banner from Tokyo and distributed it to those who ordered.
After the sharing and closing prayer the Japanese husbands of Niigata-based sisters arrived from their church-missions and joined us. They helped in serving the delicious crabs and sea foods we bought in Niigata plus the foods that the Niigata Blessed Families prepared. Our ilocano Maricon Rapada-Kojima prepared a "dinengdeng" made of mongo beans with bagoong, and additional rice for all; Ethel prepared the Pinay style-maja-blanca and marinated fried chiken; Roselle Derilo-Saito made delicious fried lumpia as her husband arrived with a big watermelon for all.
Though it was not part of the plan, an eventual Kite-flying matsuri in Niigata was held that day and the Japanese brothers were so pushy for all of us to witness the affair. It became our sight-seeing fellowship on their cultural matsuri as well.
A kite as big as a theater screen is being driven to fly by at least 30 persons! Rope tied to the kite is as big as the cow's rope or carabao's rope. And while many kites are flying in the sky, the goal is to battle the other kite to dive down and sunk to the river adjacent to the place. If two kites would fall down, the tournament of kites shifts to a mini tug-o-war event between the two kites and its tens of drivers. The 2nd gen who also were with us enjoyed the sight-seeing in kite-flying tournament. Yet as it was getting hot with the summer breeze, they were temptous to ask for "halo-halo type" ice cream sold nearby. It became their halo-halo festival as well.
Mr. Hiromu Hayakawa served as the tour guide in the kite-flying matsuri. He too was the random photographer in the event. His fatherly heart win the blessed children to be with him during the sight-seeing as our family fellowship. After the family fellowship and the long day event the Nagano families started to travel again. Thanks to Mr. Hayakawa in guiding us down to the inter-change road. They arrived back first to Nakano City at Sis. Edna's place where her mother-in-law was so generous to offer us her own vegetable produce.
The rest proceeded to Nagano City and arrived at 9 in the evening while Sis. Lennie continued her trip from Nagano City via JR train to Matsumoto City. Thanks to Mr and Mrs. Ronie and Yoko delos Santos who are both skilled drivers and patient to all. (with photos from Ronie delos Santos and Ethel Kahakawa)